Surya Govender
MSc. (Urban Social Geography)
- Consultant / Researcher
Surya Govender, having worked most recently on health and multiculturalism issues, specializes in outcomes based, participatory research and planning. She has over 10 years experience working with diverse and vulnerable communities through employment in both the public and non-profit sector. Her educational, employment and volunteer background is focused on social policy, urban sustainability, food systems and the arts.
Surya has over 10 years of experience working with diverse and vulnerable communities in both the public and non-profit sector. Her educational, employment and volunteer background is focused on social policy, urban sustainability, and the arts.
Having four years of experience facilitating community funding for the Multiculturalism Program, Canadian Heritage, Surya brings to her work a broad understanding of granting issues in diverse community settings and a working knowledge of the Lower Mainland’s many cultural communities.
Surya’s current consulting practice specializes in outcomes based and participatory research and planning. Past projects include an evaluation of the Vancouver Park Board Artist-in-Residence program, a food system assessment for Richmond on behalf of the Richmond Poverty Response Committee, and the development of the framework for the Vancouver Park Board’s Arts, Health and Seniors project.
Surya served on the Board of Directors for the Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society for three years and is currently on the Board of Directors for the Access to Media Education Society (AMES). Surya is also a published writer and artist.
Marina Niks
PhD
- Consultant
Marina Niks is a post doctoral research fellow with the Partnering in Community Health Research Program (a CIHR funded program at the Institute of Health Promotion Research at the University of British Columbia). Her work involves developing partnerships with community organizations to carry out research with vulnerable populations. Through this work she has become involved in Outcomes Measurement Framework development and training.
Marina is interested in non-traditional approaches to research. She is particularly concerned with involving community researchers and research participants as active members of research teams. Since 1999, Marina has been working as a research friend with adult literacy practitioners in the province of British Columbia. Through this role, she encourages and supports literacy practitioners to do research and to engage in a dialogue with research and researchers. She has led literacy research training workshops, consulted with individuals and groups, facilitated electronic discussions about research, participated in conferences, coordinated projects and assisted practitioners to write research proposals.
Sandra Petrozzi
BSc (Nutritional Sciences)
- Research Assistant
Sandra Petrozzi is a University of Guelph graduate with a passion for community development and health promotion. Sandra brings strong research and collation skills to the team, supporting our evaluation work with research, database and survey instrument design.
Sandra Petrozzi has a strong commitment to community-based support for vulnerable and hard to reach communities, having worked with the HIV/AIDS sector in Vancouver and internationally under a CIDA YIIP in India, and as a volunteer and employee with the Canadian Cancer Society. She is an experienced interviewer and is fluent in Spanish.